Hardeeville Patriots start strong

Tuesday

Aug 18, 2009 at 3:52 PM

An increase in parent support and child participation (as well as Week 1 victories against Ridgeland) have the Hardeeville Patriots feeling good about this season.

"I think everything is going better than I ever expected it could," said first-year commissioner Michael Primus. "The kids are out, the parents are out, our coaching staff has looked great and each team won last weekend.

"That's very good."

The Hardeeville Patriots defeated the Ridgeland Tigers in each age group over the weekend and the result has the town buzzing.

"For all three to get a win, it's very exciting," Primus said.

Primus acknowledges that since he took over as commissioner, and the new coaches were instilled into their positions, that support from every aspect of the community has grown, including the number of kids involved at the lower levels.

The Patriots have seen an increase in 6-year-olds this year and hope to see the program continue to grow as it experiences more success.

Â Hardeeville Small FryÂ

The influx of players into the small fry division has left coach Gary Bush with a lot of talent.

What's even better, according to Primus, is how well all of those kids are playing together as a team already.

"It's like they've been playing as a team for a few years," he said. "I've never seen anything like it."

The team doesn't possess one position that is overloaded with talent. The offensive system has been spread all over with play makers lining up at receiver, running back and quarterback.

Together, they've all worked pretty well - and it shows, judging by 36-8 victory against Ridgeland on Saturday.

"That's pretty impressive when you think about it, especially for it being the first game of the season," Primus said. "I know Coach Bush has his hands full with a lot of new guys, but you can tell he's getting the job done.

"We're expecting some big things this season."

The coaches are reluctant to name any names and have a kid stand out. The work they are doing playing together as one is worth more than any one player. It's that attitude, everyone believes, will help the kids succeed as they move to the next level.

Â Hardeeville Pee WeeÂ

Head Coach Eric Murry is working with 14 players on his Hardeeville pee wee team this year - 13 of which are new players joining from the small fry division.

With that type of turnover, Murry said a lot of the early practices have been used to focus solely on getting back to the basics of the game.

"A lot of them need a lot of work on blocking and things like that," he said. "Just the basic fundamentals of football period."

Murry expects to see some good performances out of his fullback Alterrel Chapman, who will look to take advantage of the team's wishbone and I-formations on offense.

"Oh yeah, he's caught on pretty quickly," Murry said, of Chapman. "I like to keep things pretty simple for everyone so it's just a matter of them learning the holes and assignments. In those formations, he'll be able to excel with the team."

As for the outlook of the season, Murry says he'll see what happens. For wins, he'd love to see the kids get above a .500 winning percentage, but believes having each kid gain a lot of football experience will benefit them the most.

The Patriots defeated Ridgeland 12-6 last weekend.

Â Hardeeville MidgetsÂ

While most teams incorporate the basic offenses of football, coach Travis Taylor, of Hardeeville's midgets squad, is hoping to advance his team more than the opposition.

To utilize the speed of running back Deovante Doe and quarterback Gavin Bush, Taylor implements a spread offense with his 12- and 13-year-olds.

In fact, last weekend, Taylor instituted 25 new plays and the kids didn't miss a beat.

"I knew they would eventually pick them up, but I was real pleased with how they ran them the first time," Taylor said. "They were ready for them. It shows the guys are really paying attention during practice."

Bush, a first-year player at the midget level, has caught on surprisingly fast for Taylor. His progression has allowed the offense to evolve and provide problems for opposing defenses.

"He's just a real smart kid," Taylor said. "I didn't think he'd have a problem learning what I was putting in and he hasn't."

Taylor admits that the ultimate goal is to win a championship, but he said having the guys prepared for the next level takes precedent over that.

"I'm hoping to get everyone on a level they need to be on," he said. "I'll have them ready to go and make the transition from rec to high school and JV level, so they're able to go out and perform and play."

Hardeeville topped Ridgeland 26-0 last weekend.

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